DA calls for Cold Case Unit to take over search for Joshlin Smith
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling for the Cold Case Unit to take over the search for missing Saldanha Bay six-year-old, Joshlin Smith. May 19 will mark three months since the young girl’s disappearance.
The party's Ian Cameron said he believes the unit is capable of getting to the truth.
"The political fumbles and interference has caused significant damage and we need a team like the above to cut to the chase. It is sickening to see the political campaigns being run to gain some kind of political advantage from the life of a child. Something is off with this case," Cameron shared in a post on X.
It is time for the SAPS Cold Case Unit to take over on the Joslin Smith investigation. In my opinion they are our only hope if Joslin is still alive. If not, they are the only ones, I believe, capable of getting to the truth. The political fumbles and interference has caused… pic.twitter.com/L9vYJsrzRl
— Ian Cameron (@IanCameron23) May 13, 2024
DA leader, John Steenhuisen said the unit houses some of the most skilled police professionals in the country.
"They are expertly trained at following up a case like Joshlin’s disappearance, which has gone cold because of interference by political vultures," he said.
Steenhuisen said the Cold Case Unit has an excellent track record of solving cases where local investigations have failed or been contaminated, including the cases of slain soccer star Senzo Meyiwa and KwaZulu-Natal priest, Liezel de Jager.
Four people, including Joshlin's mother, have been arrested in connection with her disappearance.
The group faces charges of kidnapping and trafficking in persons for the purpose of exploitation.The suspects are back in the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court on July 15.
Last year, the unit arrested De Jager’s husband, Werner de Jager, after just two weeks of investigating. De Jager's body was found on her Amanzimtoti property on October 13, 2021, after the beloved NG Kerk Suidkus reverend had just returned home from her morning jog.
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